Gas turbine



E. A. STALKER GAS TURBINE Sept. l1, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 originarFiled Nov. 19, 1943 .5, l lllllllllllllll FIG. 6

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ATTORNEYS GAS TURBINE original Filed Nov. 19, 1943 3 sheets-sheet 2 FIG.

.IN VE N T02 ATTORNEYS Sept 115 ,1951 E. A. STALKER 2,567,249

GAS TURBINE s sheets-sheet s Original Filed Nov. 19, 1943 INVEN TOR.

AT TORN E YS Patented Sept. 1I, 1951 GAS TURBINE Edward A. Stalker, Bay City, Mich.

Original application November 19, 1943, Serial No.

510,884, now Patent No. 2,489,683, dated November 29, 1949.

Divided and this application November 5, 1949, Serial No. 125,675

14 Claims. (Cl. BSS-39.15)

This invention relates to turbines and particularly to the type known as the gas turbine.

It has for its principal object to provide a gas turbine having high thermal efficiency and operating with high gas temperatures and in which the parts in the high temperature zone are protectively cooled without objectionably affecting the over-all eciency.

It is a further object to provide a blade form for such a turbine especially adapted to cool operation and high eiciency.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

I accomplish the above objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view representing the conditions of laminar iiow of a gas over a surface;

Figs. 2 and 3 are views through a discharge slot on an enlarged scale representing the conditions incident to the discharge of a ilow through the slot and its intermixing with the main flow;

Figs. 4 and 4a are diagrammatic views showing the temperature distribution over the surface of the blade as aiected by a series of discharge slots therein;

Fig. 5 is a view partly in axial section and partly in side elevation of a turbine constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the turbine blading, casing and hub;

Fig. 6a is a fragmentary section on a still larger scale of the hub wall of Fig. 6 in the zone of the turbine blades;

Fig. 6b is a similar fragmentary section of the outer wall of Fig. 6 in the zone of the turbine blades:

' Fig. 10 is a fragmentary and elevational view looking in the direction of the arrows IU-l in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is an end elevational view of the burner isolated from the remaining structure looking in the direction of the arrows II-II of Fig. 6;

Fig. 12 is a section along line I2I2 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a section along the line l3-I3 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a diagrammatic representation of the pressure conditions on opposite sides of a blade constructed in accordance with this invention; and

Fig. 15 is a detail sectional view through the nose slot of a blade on the line I5--I5 of Fig. 10.

The gas turbine is recognized as having many advantages over reciprocating engines as a source of power but in order to secure high thermal efiiciency, it is necessary for it to operate at high temperatures, and this has hitherto presented difiiculties in preventing the blades and other parts of the turbine from becoming heated to excessive or dangerous temperatures. In accordance with this invention, those parts which are normally subjected to high gas temperatures are prevented from excessive heating through the provision of a proper protective layer of cool air between the blades or other parts and the hot motive gas of the turbine. In order to be most effective these layers are made to be truly laminar in character and turbulence in the layers is reduced or prevented so that heat transfer by convection is substantially eliminated.

A flow is said to be laminar when the air particles remain always in the same innitestimal layer. Thus in Fig. l the particles on streamline AAiAz always remain on this line and do not travel between the lines. If the layer becomes turbulent, a particle at A may aninstant later be at B and can transfer heat quickly from A to B. It will be understood that all the so-called layers are extremely thin and that they are not positively separated from each other.

The 'necessary condition for a laminar ow in addition to a smooth surface is that the pressure gradient act so as to accelerate the boundary layer in the general direction of ow. This latter condition is directly concerned with the location of the maximum thickness of the airfoil section I used `for the blade. The blade form will be discussed further subsequently.

The blade and walls of the turbine are equipped with slots so related and arranged that the entire surface of the turbine structure exposed to the hot gases is bathed by a protective flow which ls made and remains substantially laminar for a substantial distance downstream from the slot.

Fig. 2 illustrates the theory underlying the emission of the protective layers. The nozzle or slot N is discharging a jet of air. Along the wall Sra boundary layer forms due to rubbing on the walls. This is the thin layer in which the frictional retardation oi the wall is active. In the distance :v from the slot opening the thickness of the boundary layer has become ai. At the point o mixing begins between the gas ilcw Fg and the insulating flow Fb from the slot. assuming that there is turbulence in the ow Fg. In a distance a; the mixing zone has acquired a thickness m-l-n. the zone extending into the flow E a distance 5m and into the flow Fg a distance an. It is clear that as long as the mixing zone does not become contiguous to the friction boundary layer there will remain an insulating layer 61 which may be laminar. This is true even though the frictional boundary layer is turbulent. On the other hand the mixing zone may reach the outer boundary of the frictional boundary layer as shown in Fig. 3 without excessive heat transfer. if this frictional layer is laminar. The mixing zone should not however reach the wall S1.

If two layers of iiuids of equal density having the main velocities u1 and u2 begin mixing, the mixing zone boundary lines Z1 and Z2, Fig. 2, will make the angles a1 and az with the line OX. If u1 is very nearly equal to u2, that is, i! un is from 0.8 to1.0 of u1 then 2 2 @gapen radius 2) where u1 and u2 are in feet per second. Hence the thicknessm=$ tan a2 (3) and since the angle is small and is approximately proportional toits tangent where an is in radians.

If the frictional boundary layer is turbulent. the thickness of this layer is where- Equations 4 and 5 determine the distance a: for which a1 becomes zero and therefore the maximum safe spacing ofthe slots which will provide for a maintained protective boundary layer. This is obtained through the following relationship in which the original thickness of the jetis 61.

It follows from Equations 2 and 3 that if the slot width `is about equal to the mixing thickness that the succeeding slot should be about times the slot width downstream to keep the mixing region above the metal surface. In about four times this distance or 40 times the slot Width the hot gas has penetrated the boundary layer. Thus a preferred spacing for the slots is between about 10 and 40 times the slot width.

A plurality of slots should be used in the blades and they should be, in major part. in the forward 60 per cent of the chord because as indicated in Figs. 4 and 4a the layer tends to add, forming an increasingly thicker total layer T as the ilow proceeds toward the trailing edge.

The distribution of temperature R in the layer T is shown by curve D, Fig. 4a, where R, is on the Rankin scale which is degrees Fahrenheit absolute. Immediately adjacent the wall surface the temperature is R1 substantially equal to the wall temperature. At the limit of the outer layer L4 the temperature is Rg, the temperature oi the motive gas, the temperature gradient being sub-v stantially as represented.

It will be seen therefore that the arrangement of the slots is very important in keeping the temperature at the wall low. In accordance with this invention the slots are in major part in the forward portion of the body so that they can provide the thick layer over the rear portion of the blade where turbulence in the layer has a greater tendency to form because of the adverse pressure gradient of the blade. Even if turbulence forms in the inner layer L1 there will be little heat brought to the wall when the next outer layer L2 and the other intermediate layers maintain laminar flow or are relatively cool as comparedto layer L4.

The maximum width of the slots is determined by the condition that they must not discharge so much cold air that the thermal eiiiciency is seriously reduced or lowered to the value which would obtain for an initial gas temperature requiring no protective layer. For present day metals this is a temperature of about l500 R. Thus the sum of the widths of the blade slots preferably should be 6 per cent of the blade chord with upper and lower limits of 2 per cent and 10 per cent respectively; or the area of the blade slots should be about 5 per cent of the crosssectional area of the main ow passage with upper and lower limits of 1.6 per cent and 8 per cent respectively.

The widths of the individual slots at the front of the blades should be between 0.2 per cent and 2 per cent with a preferred value of about 1 per cent. Preferably too the slot widths of the blades should decrease from the nose to the trailing edge of the blade. This is practicable because of the superimposing of the layers from succeeding slots.

With the slot width determined the chordwise space between it and the succeeding slot is given from Equation 4 as where a: is in feet.

Referring to the drawing which discloses a preferred embodiment of the invention, in Fig. 5 the compressor is shown at I and the turbine at 2. The compressor has the rotor blades Ia and stator blades Ib Within the annular passage 5. The rotor blades are supported on the hub Ic and the stator blades from casing Id. The compressor discharges directly into the passage I of the turbine 2 and also into the auxiliary passage 1. In passage 6 the burner 3 heats the air andmixes with it the burned fuel forming the gas which impinges on the rotor blades 8 of the first stage and I0 of the second stage. The burner 3 as shown in Fig. 11 is annular in shape and provides for discharge of the burning gases with a large peripheral component offy velocity. The rotor blades are carried on hub 2a which like the hub Ic is keyed to a common axial drive shaft. The stator blades are 9 and I I, the blades of the former forming the rst stage and the blades of the latter the second stage. The gas then proceeds to the exit I2. The turbine and compressor shaft are shown integral as 2b. Itis supported in the bearings2c.

It will be realized that the gas downstream from the burner is at a very high temperature and it is desired to utilize the gas while its temperature remains high and of the order of 3500 F. absolute. Ii. the blades are bathed continuously by such highly heated gas. they tend to take on this high temperature and hence provision is made to keep them relatively cool. i. e., at a temperature at whichv they can be successfully operated without any danger of distortion, weakening or rupture. As an example of a representative temperature, about 1500 F. absolute has been found satisfactory.

In order to maintain such controlled lower temperature, air at a relatively low temperature is conducted by the passage 1, la, 1b to be ejected from slots in the turbine wall and blades so as to provide and maintain a protective layer between them and the hot gas. In order to provide proper pressures at the various slots each rotor oi'- the turbine also carries pump blades I3 and Il respectively in the passage 1a-'Ib. These are accompanied by and alternate with the stator blades I5 and I6.

The air from the passage l, 1a and 'lb supplies slots in the blades and the walls of passage l6 at. the proper pressure for each. As shown in Figs. Sand 6b, air ows through passages 1c into and through the hollow interiors of stator blades II and 9, thus supplying air to the surface slots of those blades. Each of the blade stages carries an annular flow controlling member IIa and 9a.

respectively, which fit within recesses Ill and '39- of hub 2a and are apertured to provide for supply of fluid pressure to such recesses. As shown more particularly in Fig. 6a. the outlets from said recesses are substantially restricted at either side of the respective members IIa and 9a but is relatively open and in direct communication with the interiors of rotating blades 8 and I0. Thus air under pressure is continuously supplied to the interiors of the blades of both the rotor and the stator.

Restricted outlets I8 and 20 are formed at either side of member 9a with their discharge openings directed downstream of the main flow through the turbine. Similar outlets 22 and 24 are formed at either side `of member I Ia, the respective ows thus being discharged generally parallel with the walls.

There are slots 32, 34. 3B and 38, similar to the hub slots, between adjacent blades in the outer wall of the passage 6 as shown in part in Fig.

6b. The rings IllaI and 8a. at the tips of the rotor blades I0 and 8. respectively, have slots 33 and Il in communication with the interior of the rotor blades to derive air therefrom.

It is important that proper pressure conditions be established at the several slots and passages in order to provide the desired operation and the following is given as an example for purposes of illustration. Assuming ilrst a pressure developed by the compressor and delivered thereby to the passage l of 88 pounds per square inch gage. Within the turbine the passage 6 contracts so that it is narrowest at the rst rotor. resulting in increased velocity and reduced pressure. At this point the pressure fails to a value about 0.53 of the pressure at the burner or about 45 pounds per square inch gage for an initial pressure of 88.2 pounds per square inch gage. It is necessary then that a jet emitted through the turbine wall into passage 6 have substantially-the same velocity as the gas within such passage; however the jet of air being much cooler than the gas, it is denser and will require a greater pressure than the gas to give it the same velocity. Hence the auxiliary pump composed of the blades I3 to I6 is employed to raise the pressure of the air from the compressor I to the proper value at the first rotor, or about 140 pounds per square inch gage.

As an example of how the pressures of the cooling air are controlled to provide different pressures at the slots, consider the last stator blade II. Its interior receives air from passage 1al b through duct Ic and conducts it to annular pas- I0- the static pressure in blade II drops to a low value of the order of pounds per square inch 1 gage. The pressure in passage 40 will be oi the order o! 15 pounds per square inch gage because of the loss of air through the slots in blade II: This is the pressure which will serve the. hub slot 22 between the blades.

In the rotor blade Il the air taken from passage at about 15 pounds persquare inch'fg'age will have its pressure increased. by centrifugal `*action to about 38 pounds per square inch gage which is the proper value for discharge from the'. -rotor blade slots.

Similar relationships are provided for the flow through stator blade t to rotor blade 8. It is to -be noted that the pressure of the air entering this stator blade has been further raised in passage 1a by the pressure action of blade Il. Thus the air begins its travel through stator blade l, pas'- sage 3! and rotor blade with a higher initial pressure than the flow into stator blade II. A typical pressure of the air discharged into blade 0 is 107 pounds per square inch gage, providing a corresponding increased pressure of the d ischarge from the slots in blades l and l; with reference to blades II and Il. This is proper because the total pressure is higher at the zone ot blade 8 and 0 than it is in the zoneof blades `I8 and Il.

For the outer wall slot 32 just ahead of the rotor composed of blades Il. the pressure ofthe A cooling air should be the highest. The air in the acoustic velocity leads to the maximum power extraction inthe ilrst stage, thus requiring fewerstages to extract the remainder of the energy. Since in the main annular turbine passage 6 the pressure falls to the critical value at the passage throat, the velocity of the gas is the same as the velocity of sound in such gas at the pressure and temperature existing at the throat, that is just ahead of the ilrst rotor. This feature of having the whole now expanded to the acoustic velocityand bathing the whole rotor-is an important fea'- ture of this invention since it makes possible the minimum number oi' stages and hence requires only the minimum amount of cooling air. It may be shown by calculation that under these condi'- tions the remainder of the energy may be extracted by a single additional stage.

The rotor blades 8 rotate ln the same direction as the peripheral component of the gas velocity at the throat. Although the absolute gas velocity has the acoustic value, the gas velocity relatiye to the rotor blades is less than the acoustic velocity because of the rotor velocity which as 7 already described is in the same direction, and hence it is possible for the gas to flow in streamlines about the blades. If the gas velocity relative to the blades equalled or exceeded the acoustic velocity streamline ow would not be possible and a compressibility burble would set in.

Because the first stage rotor extracts energy from the gas, the velocity of the gas flow is reduced below the acoustic velocity before the gas impinges on the guide vanes aft vof the first rotor and therefore emcient streamlined ow over those guide vanes is obtained.

The preferred type of blade is shown in Figs. 9 and 10 and is such that it provides for a low velocity ow past the under surface even at full power of the turbine. In fact pressure surveys on the under-surface of such a blade show that the velocity of the gas now adjacent the undersurface is only about l per cent of the average resultant relative velocity past the blade. The pressure on the under-surface is about 75 per cent of the dynamic head available and is substantially constant across the greater part of the under-surface. As shown the blade has a substantial radius of curvature on both surfaces with a relatively high arching of the mean camber line.

The airfoil section is characterized by the location of the mean camber maximum ordinate at or to the rear of the mid-point of the chord. It is further characterized by the location of the maximum thickness near or to the rear of the mid-point of the chord. Furthermore the value of the nose radius is preferably greater than 8 per cent of the wing maximum thickness and substantially less than the said maximum thickness. The location of the maximum thickness ordinate and the magnitude of the nose radius are important since the desired laminar :dow is impaired if the maximum thickness is as far forward as the one-third chord point or if the nose radius is large. It is the location of the maximum thickness and the shape of the section ahead of such maximum thickness which .determine the character of the flow and provide for obtaining laminar flow.

The velocity across the upper surface is substantially higher than the average axial velocity and the pressure is substantially reduced above the blade. The velocity across the first 60 per cent of the blade chord is substantially constant and then declines to the main stream velocity at the trailing edge. This means that the pressure is also substantially constant along the first 60 per cent of the upper surface.

The upper blade surface is formed with a series of slots 26, 21, and 28 which are spaced substantially as shown over the upper surface, the outlet of each slot opening rearwardly so as to discharge a flow of air substantially tangentially over the surface. The nose of the blade is provided with slots 25, substantially at the location of the forward stagnation point under normal operating conditions. Rearwardly thereof, the lower blade surface is formed with a series of slots 29, 30 and 3| which are similar to those in the upper surface in spacing and in their direction.

In order for the slots to discharge laminar jets the slot walls must not diverge substantially. They should converge toward the slot exit. Furthermore the jets should be discharged in the direction of the external ilow. Hence the slot axis should be directed rearward along the blade surface and not perpendicular thereto. Jets dis- 8 charged normalto the surface will beturbulent and will therefore transport large quantities of sfr; from the gas boundary to the wall of the e. In order to insure the proper velocities from the slots the interior of the blades (both yrotor and stator blades being similar) are divided by the partitions 4i into upper compartments 42 and lower compartments I3. Each partition contains one or more metering slots M, 4I to provide a differentially higher pressure in compartment I2 than in compartment 4I. 'I'he air from eslc, 39 and 40 is supplied to the compartments 42 of the several blades and from there flows at somewhat reduced pressure into the compartments Il.

The protective ilow at the nose is arranged so that for all attitudes of the blade relative to the external now the hot gases never come directly into contact with the blade. It should be recognized that for changing angles of attack the stagnation point (Fig. 9) shifts and that this point divides the flow for the top of the blade from that for the bottom. Where the blade is provided with a nose slot, the flow from the slot will pass rearward over either the upper or lower surface on the opposite side of the slot from the stagnation point of the main ilo'w and therefore will not be interposed in protective relation between the main gas flow and the blade surface. 'Hence the slot ilow cannot protect both surfaces from the high temperature of the hot gas now. Where two such nose slots are provided at least that portion of the blade between the slots is subject to the direct impact of the hot gases and under these conditions also proper protection is not afforded against the highly heated gas ow.

To provide leading edge protection I arrange the nose slots so that they direct the cooling air spanwise in major part. Figs. 9 and l0 show the slots 25 as extending diagonally and having overlapping walls so as to direct their jets in large measure spanwise and over a band `along the span having a substantial width so that for any position of the stagnation point there is a protective iilm.

The blade is designed so that for maximum power and maximum temperatures the flow divides at the nose substantially at the end in of the mean camber line il, Fig. 14. The airfoil section of the blades, of both rotor and stator, is designed especially to keep the cooling streams in a laminar state. This is accomplished by providing a favorable pressure gradient along the contour of the section. Fig. 14 shows the pressure distribution over the upper surface and it will be noted that the lowest pressure is at the distance f from the nose which is the 60 per cent point of the chord. Hence the flow along the contour is being accelerated up to this point by the pressures generated by the blade itself. As long as the ilow is accelerated it can be maintained laminar.

On the under surface of the blades pressure surveys indicate that about 75 per cent of the dynamic pressure is attained on the average between the stagnation point and the trailing edge. This means that the velocity has been reduced to about l5 per cent of the general ilow at the rotor.

The substantial constancy of the pressure along the under surface means that it is possible to superimpose another pressure gradient so as to make a favorable pressure gradient everywhere.

The contour shape and the under surface slots, Fig. 14, make the gradient favorable from 80 to beyond 62.

The burner 3 receives air through the duct 50 in the arms 5| from the passage 1b where the air pressure is highest. Fuel is received from an external supply through the tube 52. The air is discharged under pressure in a substantially tangential direction into the annular combustion space 53. There should be a plurality of fuel and air ducts, four being shown in Fig. 11. The duct 58 is branched to send the major portion of the flow to the chamber 53 and a minor part to the chambers 58 and 59.

The fuel and air enter the combustion space 53 and proceed circumferentially about it. The mixture isignited by the spark plug 5I and as the gas burns it proceeds toward the exit 55 guided by the vanes 56. The guide vanes 56, Figs. 11, 12 and 13, are located forwardly of the chamber 53 andare set at a suitable angle to intercept a portion of thel peripheral flow and direct it out the opening 55. They are kept cool by the slots 51 in their Walls in communication with the ducts 58 receiving air from the passage 59. The duct 59 serves the same purpose as 58.

The slot I1' receives air from 1b through the ductsV 50 and 58a, thus affording a high pressure source of air to be discharged from such slot in advance of blade 8.

The invention thus provides a converging duct between the locality of the burner and the first rotor of the turbine so that the first rotor is subject to the acoustic velocity. The rotor is rotated in the same directionas the jet to reduce the relative velocity below the acoustic velocity. The next rotor is in a duct of expanding cross-sectional area. By this means the number of stages to be kept cool is made a minimum and consequently less cooling airvneed be used. While the cooling air from each stage reduces the thermal efliciency, if there are two stages, the second stage only has its thermal efficiency reduced by the protective cooling air from the first stage. The cool air from the last stagedoes not mix with this stage and there are no stages following to be adversely affected by the admixture of cold air, hence only half the'stages are subjected to gas cooled by the admixture of cooling air.

On the other hand if there were four stages the last 3 or '75 per cent would be adversely affected by the admixture of cold air from the preceding stages.

Each of the blades is provided with a plurality of slots spaced chordwise in both the upper and lower surfaces. These slots are formed to direct jets toward the trailing edge tangentially to the surface so as to provide laminar layers of fluid. The blade section has such a contour as to accelerate the jets from the slots thereby forming and preserving a laminar type of flow.

The slots are spaced chordwise chiefly in the forward part of the blade so that the layers are superimposed to form a thick total layer on the rear 40'per cent of the blade section where the blade pressure gradient is adverse and the layer adjacent the surface becomes turbulent. This layer because of the manner of its formation does not have a steep temperature gradient so that some turbulence within the layer adjacent the surface will not transfer large quantities of heat to the blade wall.

The blade and wall slots open into the turbine gas passage at regions of differing pressure and velocity. Furthermore the cooling 'air being very much denser than the hot gas and therefore requiring a greater pressure to give it the same velocity, means are provided for increasing the pressure of the air received from the compressor serving the turbine to provide the proper velocity, the pressure at each slot also being properly controlled.

The turbine may be started by the electric moir B5 geared to the turbine shaft by the gear train The upper side or surface of the blade as used herein refers to the convex or low pressure side of the blade, and the lower side or surface refers to'the concave or high pressure side of the blade. The span of the blade is the extent or dimension of the blade in a generally radial direction, while the chord is the extent or dimension transverse to the span from the leading to the trailing edge of the blade.

The invention thus provides a novel and useful gas turbine capablev of operating safely and reliably at a high temperature and at a high thermal efficiency without incurring the danger of overheating the working parts in the high temperature zone.

This application is a division of copending application Serial No. 510,884, filed November 19, 1943, now Patent 2,489,683.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is deflnedin the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A blade structure for a gas turbine of the i character described comprising a plurality of blades, each said blade having a plurality of spanwise slots disposed in chordwise spaced relation along both upper and lower surfaces rearwardly of the nose of said blade leading out of the blade interior, means to discharge a protective flow of fluid Aout of the blades through said slots, each said slot being spaced chordwise from the preceding slot by a distance between 10 and 40 times the preceding slot width to avoid the boundary of the mixing zone of said hot gas and said protective uid downstream from a preceding slot reaching. the blade surface ahead of the succeeding slot.

2. A blade structure for a gas turbine of the character described operable by means of a hot motive gas comprising a plurality of blades, each said blade having a plurality of chordwise spaced slots in each of its upper and lower surfaces and spaced rearwardly of the nose thereof, and means to discharge a plurality of relatively cold jets of fluid from said slots to form a protective layer between the blade walls and said hot motive gas, each said slot being defined by walls formed to direct its discharge of jet fluid rearward substantially along the blade surface, said slots extending over the major part of the span of the blade so that their jets of fluid are superimposed on the rear portion of the blade to form a protective layer of great thickness and small temperature gradient outward from the surface.

3. A blade structure for a gas turbine of the character described operable by means of a, hot motive gas comprising a plurality of blades, each said blade having a plurality of spanwise extending slots in both its upper and lower surfaces arcane 11 spaced rearwardly of the nose thereof leading out of the blade interior, and means to produce a flow of cooling fluid out of said blade through said slots to interpose a protective layer of relatively cold fluid between said hot gas and said blade surfaces, said slots being spaced chordwise with slot walls converging to the slot exit and with the slot axis directed substantially along the blade surface to discharge the jet along the surface toward the blade trailing edge, said slots extending over the major part of the span of the blade so that their jets of fluid are superimposed to provide a thick protective layer over the rear portion of the blade with a low temperature gradient outward from the blade surface; the sum of the widths of said slots being less than per cent of the chord length so that surface protection is adequate with a small quantity of air thereby providing high thermal eiliciency.

4. A blade structure for a gas turbine of the character described adapted to be operated by a hot gas flow and having a plurality of blades, each said blade having anose portion directly exposed to said hot gas flow, said nose portion having a plurality of spanwise spaced slots extending generally transversely thereof, means to supply a gas of substantially lower temperature than said hot gases to the hollow interior of said blade providing said slots with emitted jets of relatively colder gas, said slots having a substantial chordwise length and having walls formed to direct their emitted jets with a substantial spanwise velocity to form a spanwise ribbon of relatively cold gas of substantial chordwise width along the length of the blade nose so that the point of division of said ilow of the products of combustion into upper and lower blade surface flows lies within the spanwise margins of said ribbon for a range of angles of attack of said blade and the said products are therefore separated from the nose surfaceyof said blade.

5. A blade structure for a gas turbineadapted to be operated by a hot gas flow rand comprising a plurality of blades, each saidblade having a plurality of slots in its surface leading into Vits interior, and means to supply a gas of lower temperature than said hot gas to the hollow interior of said blade providing said slots with emitted jets of relatively colder gas, certain of r said slots being spaced chordwise and having walls formed to direct their jet substantially along the `blade surface toward the trailing edge thereof, others of said slots being nose slots spaced spanwise along the nose of said blade with a substantial chordwise length, the nose surface of said blade being in the direct path of flow of said hot gas, said nose slots having walls formed to direct their emitted jets with a substantial spanwise velocity to form a ribbon of relatively cold gas of substantial chordwise Width on the blade nose so that the point of division of the said products of combustion into upper and lower blade surface flows lies within the margin of said ribbon for a range of angles of attack of the said blade, said slots cooperating to provide a protective layer of cool gas over the major portion of the blade area.

6. A blade structure for a gas turbine adapted to be operated under the action of a hot gas flow and having a plurality of blades, each said blade being provided with openings disposed in spaced relation over its nose surface adapted to discharge a band of fluid over a substantial chordwise extent of said nose surface so as to encompass the range of chordwise travel of the stagnal2 tion point, the nose surface of said blade being exposed to the direct impact of said hot gas flow. means for discharging jets from said openings to form a substantially continuous protective film over the entire nose surface of said blade, and chordwise distributed openings located aft of said nose openings and within the zone in tances between ten and forty times the chordwise widths thereof.

7. A blade structure vfor a gas turbine adapted to operate under the action of a hot gas flow and having a blade structure including a plurality oi' hollow blades, each said .blade having a plurality of discharge slots disposed along its nose portion in communication with the blade interior for the discharge of air flows therefrom, said discharge slots extending generally transversely of said nose portion from the upper to the lower s ide of said blade and formed to direct discharge Jets in a generally spanwise direction extending over and covering substantially the entire area of said nose portion, and means to supply an air now to the hollow interiors of said blades under pressure.

8. A blade structure for a gas turbine adapted to operate under the action of a hot gas flow and having a blade structure including a plurality of hollow blades, each said blade having a plurality of discharge slots disposed along its nose portion in communication with the blade interior for the discharge of air flows therefrom, said discharge slots extending generally transversely of said nose portion from the upper to the lower side of said blade and formed to direct discharge jets in a generally spanwise direction extending over and covering substantially the entire area of said nose portion, said slots being so spaced over said nose portion that each said discharge jet extends over and protects the entire surface between ady jacent slots, and means to supply an air flow to' the hollow interiors oi' said blades under pressure.

9. In a gas turbine, a hollow turbine blade having a nose portion formed on its surface facing upstream of the local flow with a plurality of opening, said blade having a plurality of chordwise spaced openings on each of its upper and its lower surfaces rearwardly oi' said nose portion, and means to supply air to said hollow blade for the discharge of protective air films from said nose openings and from said upper and lower surface openings in surface protecting relation to the exposed blade surface the sum of the chordwise widths of said upper and lower surface openings being less than 10 per cent of the corresponding chord length.

10. In a gas turbine, a hollow turbine blade having a nose portion formed on its surface facing upstream of the local flow with a` plurality of spanwise spaced slots extending generally transversely of said blade and adapted to discharge a series of overlapping air jets in protective relation to the entire surface of said nose portion, said blade having at least one additional slot on each of its upper and its lower surfaces rearwardly of said nose portion, and means to supply air to said hollow blade for the discharge of protective air films from said nose slots and from said upper and lower surface 3 slots in surface protecting relation to the exposed blade surface.

11. In a blade structure i'or a gas'turbine of the character described adapted to be operated under the action of a hot gas flow and having a plurality of blades. the nose surface of each of said blades exposed to the direct impact of said hot gas flow being provided with a plurality of spanwise spaced slots extending in a diagonal direction the outlets of which provide for directing a jet howl/therefrom in a generally spanwise direction'/ over said nose surface and over a band of substantial width along the span thereof, and means for discharging jets from said slots to form a protective flow over said nose. surface of said blade.

12. In a gas turbine blade adapted to operate in a hot gas ow, in combination, an upper surface and a lower surface supported one on the other in spaced relation to define said hollow blade, each said surface having a plurality of chordwise spaced openings distributed thereover, each said opening being spaced chordwise from the precedingsopening by a distance of the order of 10 times the chordwise width of said opening, said blade having an opening into its interior for the admission of a relatively cool flow of iiuid for flow out said openings to provide protective flows between said surfaces and 'said hot gas flow.

13. In a gas turbine blade adapted to operate in a hot gas now, in combination, an upper surface and a lower surface supported one on the other in spaced relation to deiine said hollow blade, each said surface having a plurality of chordwise spaced openings distributed thereover, each said opening being spaced chordwise from the preceding opening by a distance of the order of 10 times the chordwise width of said opening,

said blade having an opening into its interior for the admission of a relatively cool now of iluld for flow out said openings to provide protective flows between said surfaces and said hot gas flow, and spanwise partitions within said blade to deiine separate compartments therein serving different ones of said openings.

14. In a gas turbine blade adapted to operate in a hot gas iiow, in combination, a blade nose facing upstream of the local flow having a plurality of spaced openings extending generally transversely of said blade and adapted to discharge a series of overlapping air jets in pro-4 tective relation to the surface of said nose, and blade upper and lower surfaces extending rearwardly of said nose and defining a blade therewith, at least a portion of the rearwardly extending surface of said blade having spaced openings. said blade being substantially closed at one end and open at the other to admit a flow of fluid for .discharge through said openings in surface protecting relation to the exposed blade surfaces.

EDWARD A. STALKER..

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,149,510 Darrieus Mar. 7. 1939 2,220,420I Meyer -4---- Nov. 5. 1940 2,236,426 Faber Mar. 25, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 208,622 Switzerland May 1, 1940 '711,419 France June 30. 1931 France Feb. 18. 1935 

